The use of fuel heated greenhouses for growing plants during winter months has long been practiced. With the impending fuel shortages, it is becoming increasingly important to provide a greenhouse which can be used for growing plants in cold weather but which requires no fuel or, at least, a greatly reduced amount of fuel.
Greenhouses provide an environment in which plants receive sunlight for growth and protection against low temperatures. A greenhouse is a natural solar collector during sunlight hours since sun penetrating the transparent covering heats the air and physical objects within the greenhouse. However, the quantity of heat collected during the day is seldom sufficient to maintain a preselected minimum temperature during night hours or during days when no sunlight occurs so that supplementary heating is required.
The present invention is a greenhouse which performs the dual function of first providing the environment for the growth of plants and second, functions as a solar collector for the storage of heat to maintain the interior of the greenhouse at acceptable temperatures for growing plants during the night and on cloudy days.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a solar heated greenhouse.
More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide a greenhouse having a quonset type roof which extends to the floor level on each side of the greenhouse, the roof having an inner and outer light penetratable member providing a heat collecting chamber therebetween and including means of dispersing water in the heat collecting chamber and storing the heated water in a strata beneath the floor to heat the greenhouse at night and on sunless days.
These general objects as well as other and more specific objects of the invention will be fulfilled in the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the attached views.